Various types of medical devices or instruments, such as metallic syringes, scalpels, forceps, hemostats, and endoscopes may become contaminated as a result of use or exposure to contaminants from time to time. For example, scalpels and forceps may be used for performing medical procedures (e.g., surgical procedures, etc.) during which the scalpel or forceps may come into contact with or otherwise become exposed to contaminants, such as through physical contact with a patient or other potentially contaminated areas. In many applications, only non-contaminated or sterile instruments may be used. Thus, reusable instruments must be disinfected to remove contaminants before they may be suitable for reuse.
Techniques known in the art for disinfecting an instrument's surfaces may include exposing the surfaces to disinfecting conditions, such as high temperatures, sonic waves, or applying a disinfecting substance or solution to a surface of the instrument. Such techniques may include physically applying a disinfecting solution to the surface of the instrument. As an example, instruments may be placed into various apparatuses for exposing the instruments to disinfecting conditions. In some implementations, the disinfection process may require application of a combination of techniques in order to achieve the desired disinfection of the instrument.
Generally, after the instrument has been disinfected, it may remain disinfected until subsequent exposure to contaminants, at which point it must be disinfected again. Steps may be taken to prevent such re-contamination of previously disinfected instruments, such as by separately applying various solutions to the instrument. However, even when such solutions are applied, contamination of a previously disinfected instrument may occur during the time between disinfection and application of the anti-microbial solution. Such contamination may be undetectable to a user, and a risk of use of a contaminated instrument for such applications is increased. Thus, improved techniques preventing contamination of disinfected instruments are generally desirable.